Chapter 427 - 377: This Female Is... So Cute

Chapter 427: Chapter 377: This Female Is... So Cute

Since Cook was also an Alaskan Dog, she wasn’t afraid of this type of canine. Besides, this one seemed calm and friendly.

"Don’t touch it," Barto’s voice drifted down from above Gu Ning’s head.

Gu Ning cleared her throat and turned back to him, her eyes curving into a smile.

Barto ruffled her hair. "You’ll leave your scent on it if you touch it."

"Passes."

The security team members leaped from the sled. Their leader walked over to the driver’s side of the vehicle and knocked. He then rounded the vehicle to Gu Ning’s side, propped a hand on the roof above her window, and leaned in to look—

Gu Ning’s eyes met the team leader’s. She instinctively sat up straighter, forcing a calm expression as she gave him a little wave.

"..."

The team leader’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before sweeping over the other occupants of the vehicle.

Alex asked, "Is there a problem?"

Lanuo said, "Hey there, puppy."

Barto crossed his arms and gave a perfunctory wave.

Cook let out an enthusiastic "WOOF!"

The team leader said, "...Everyone, out of the vehicle for inspection."

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Philinos leaped down from the roof of the vehicle. He placed a hand on the team leader’s shoulder, gave him a shove, and spoke in a cold voice.

The team leader glanced at him, then at the hand that had shoved him away. His eyes flicked back to the female inside the vehicle, and he said good-naturedly, "You have a female with you. I need to check your identification documents."

Barto stopped Lanuo, who was about to exit the vehicle. "Let us see your identification first."

The team leader’s brow furrowed slightly, but he still took out his own security credentials and showed them to Gu Ning. "Miss, we’re a patrol team from Squad Seventeen, Ninth Security Brigade, 12th District. To ensure your safety, we need to verify the identities of your companions. Please don’t be alarmed."

"AWOO." The large dog pulling the sled also bit an armband off its foreleg and offered it to Gu Ning.

Their polite and good-natured conduct instantly won Gu Ning over.

From Zone 19 to the 12th District, every inspection team she’d encountered had either been overly severe or openly hostile and ill-intentioned.

In comparison, the Beastmen of the Upper Middle District seemed to have better tempers and a higher degree of civility.

’No wonder Cook isn’t being so aggressive with them.’

Everyone got out of the vehicle.

The security team members gathered around and saw a small figure hop down from the passenger’s side. The figure stumbled and then vanished from sight.

"..."

"WOOF!"

The Alaskan Dog pulling the sled reacted first and started digging at the snow. But before he could pull the little female out of the thick powder, the bird who’d been watching them from a distance swooped in, plucked her out, and carefully patted the snow off her clothes.

Gu Ning stood in snow up to her knees, awkwardly rubbing her nose. ’The snow here is so much deeper than where we’re staying.’

The security team members reflexively followed suit, each rubbing his own nose.

Some were trying to hide their smiles, others were trying to conceal their bashful expressions, and still others were rubbing their noses because the scent wafting from her was overwhelmingly stimulating.

’This female is so... so cute. But this scent...’

The team members all understood what her scent signified. Some rubbed their noses, some stared at the sky, some turned their heads away. All of their faces were flushed red.

The sled-pulling dog lay down and buried its nose in the snow, its eyes swiveling to watch the little female.

’She’s so small. With a body that tiny... wouldn’t she get hurt during mating?’

"Are you going to conduct the inspection or not?" Barto prompted impatiently.

Lanuo leaned against the vehicle, his gaze sweeping over the group of "dogs" whose ears were all red. "A bunch of youngsters," he remarked.

Alex stepped in front of Gu Ning and handed his pass to the team leader. "We need to get going, so please be quick with your inspection."

The team leader snapped back to his senses and, regaining his composure, took the pass. The other team members immediately came forward to check the rest of the group’s documents.

"Miss, we’ll need to inspect your pass as well." After checking Alex’s pass, the team leader walked around him and approached Gu Ning.

Gu Ning found the pass in her pocket and handed it over.

The glittering gold pass was blindingly bright in the sunlight, drawing the gazes of the other team members.

"You’re a journalist?" The team leader’s tone shifted, and his eyes now held a measure of respect as he looked at Gu Ning.

"Yes," Gu Ning answered succinctly, raising the camera in her hand. "Would you mind if I took a picture?"

"You can. Of course, you can." The team leader, taken aback for a moment, began to hastily straighten his uniform.

The other team members were even more flustered than he was. They had assumed this was just a routine inspection; they never expected the female in the vehicle to be a journalist. Whether for their own sakes or for the image of the 12th District, they had to make a good impression.

Gu Ning waited patiently for them, stopping Barto when he was about to rush them by shaking her head at him.

Just then, the Alaskan Dog that had been taking up a large part of Gu Ning’s field of vision suddenly shifted back into his human form. Before Gu Ning could get a clear look, Philinos shot forward and kicked the man, stomping him down into the snow.